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Grated, it doesn't do email, but it likes the newsgroups a lot.. Pan works better under linux for huge newsgroups, but can handle most of the binary ones under windows just fine.

You couldn't find Pan?!

KDE comes with so many other good programs as well, like KNode (News reader) and KMail (lightweight email program)... Does GNOME have any comparable programs?

Errr... yes! Pan is probably the best free newsreader for any platform, Evolution is an incredibly well-integrated mail, calender and addressbook program, and Balsa is a very decent more lightweight mail reader. For office programs, Gnumeric is way more advanced than KSpread, Guppi (still in CVS) is one of the only serious free graphical data analysis tools, GnuCash is very polished, and Dia rocks. Graphically, Sodipodi is shaping up very nicely, gPhoto rules, and the GIMP integrates better with a GNOME environment than with KDE. And then there's XMMS (the best mp3/ogg/mpeg/divx Linux player), Grip (the best CD player/ripper combo) and GStreamer for multemedia; there's GnomeICU, Gabber, Gaim and X-Chat for messaging; there's Gnapster for file-sharing; and there's more useful utilities (e.g. Bug Buddy), system utilities (e.g. Red Carpet), and panel applets than you could shake a stick at. And I know I've missed out quite a few more (Gnome-DB, Oregano and Dr. Genius have just spring to mind - and, yes, Galeon, which rocks and is now my primary browser). In other words, GNOME is hardly short on applications.

If anything, I've often found it to be the other way round. While Konqueror rules, and KWord is much better featured than AbiWord (though I personally dislike the interface), I think where KDE usually excels is in the underlying desktop core, rather than the applications. But that's just my opinion.

PS Sorry for ranting.

pan is a free newsreader which looks/works a lot like Agent for Windows. It uses NNTP servers directly like you would in Windows, without you having to worry about keeping a news spool etc. etc. Anyway, here's the
full feature list. If this is the only thing holding you back, I'd suggest you give it a try. (There are of course other UNIX news readers that would probably fit your needs, but I'm just promoting the one I use)

pan is a free newsreader which looks/works a lot like Agent for Windows. It uses NNTP servers directly like you would in Windows, without you having to worry about keeping a news spool etc. etc. Anyway, here's the
full feature list. If this is the only thing holding you back, I'd suggest you give it a try. (There are of course other UNIX news readers that would probably fit your needs, but I'm just promoting the one I use)

1.5. Did the RIAA really sue Pan?

No. It's just a joke.

However, the RIAA hasn't gone after individuals.


Oh, yes they have. I just happen to be one of them. I'm lots of money in the hole due to litigation taken against me from these guys... my attorney's fees alone (not counting the reparations I now owe them due to an FTP site I used to run) were over $5,000.

I would be very interested in more info on this (without you having to give up your anonymoty, of course). It sounds like you were probably guilty, but I'll reserve judgement as I know for a fact that very innocent people have been found against, such as Superpimp.org, makiers of the PAN newsreader.

I noticed this when downloading Pan (a newsreader for gnome and the BEST USENET newsreader I've ever come across or had the pleasure of using) -- On Oct 11, 2000 an either corrupt or clueless court found in favor of the RIAA against the small startup, simply because some users MIGHT possibly misuse the software to save copies of MP3 files posted to USENET to their local hard drives.

Disgusting. This is like finding against ACE Hardware for selling hammers, one of which might, somewhere, by somebody, be misused to konk someone over the head with (hopefully an RIAA/MPAA lawyer). What is more appalling by this decision, is that this functionality has existed in newsreaders and stand alone programs since at least 1987 (when I first got on the internet). Superpimp wasn't doing anything revolutionary in making their newsreader that hadn't been done for the last 13 years or more, with perfectly legitimate application (such as allowing users to easilly download and save pictures of my vacation I post to one of the bin newsgroups).

We all comfort ourselves that this will be overturned in appeals, but sometimes I wonder if we aren't behaving very much like many Jews in Germany did prior to World War II, telling ourselves that this will pass and sanity will prevail while standing on the brink of a pending age of darkness. I'll believe the optomism when I see an actual case overturned in appeals -- in the meantime, I think we would all do well to look at this entire War Against the Internet which the Old Media are waging (and winning) with a little more realism and concern, and get involved politically and do something about it.

However, the RIAA hasn't gone after individuals.


Oh, yes they have. I just happen to be one of them. I'm lots of money in the hole due to litigation taken against me from these guys... my attorney's fees alone (not counting the reparations I now owe them due to an FTP site I used to run) were over $5,000.

I would be very interested in more info on this (without you having to give up your anonymoty, of course). It sounds like you were probably guilty, but I'll reserve judgement as I know for a fact that very innocent people have been found against, such as Superpimp.org, makiers of the PAN newsreader.

I noticed this when downloading Pan (a newsreader for gnome and the BEST USENET newsreader I've ever come across or had the pleasure of using) -- On Oct 11, 2000 an either corrupt or clueless court found in favor of the RIAA against the small startup, simply because some users MIGHT possibly misuse the software to save copies of MP3 files posted to USENET to their local hard drives.

Disgusting. This is like finding against ACE Hardware for selling hammers, one of which might, somewhere, by somebody, be misused to konk someone over the head with (hopefully an RIAA/MPAA lawyer). What is more appalling by this decision, is that this functionality has existed in newsreaders and stand alone programs since at least 1987 (when I first got on the internet). Superpimp wasn't doing anything revolutionary in making their newsreader that hadn't been done for the last 13 years or more, with perfectly legitimate application (such as allowing users to easilly download and save pictures of my vacation I post to one of the bin newsgroups).

We all comfort ourselves that this will be overturned in appeals, but sometimes I wonder if we aren't behaving very much like many Jews in Germany did prior to World War II, telling ourselves that this will pass and sanity will prevail while standing on the brink of a pending age of darkness. I'll believe the optomism when I see an actual case overturned in appeals -- in the meantime, I think we would all do well to look at this entire War Against the Internet which the Old Media are waging (and winning) with a little more realism and concern, and get involved politically and do something about it.

From the PAN FAQ (http://www.superpimp.org/faq.html):

1.5. Did the RIAA really sue Pan?

No. It's just a joke.

There's a whole lot of emphasis on Napster at the moment, but the stakes are much higher than that. Consider the lawsuit that got launched at the folks that wrote PAN not too long ago. These people are after any and all means for transmitting information. Taken to a logical extreme, many of the core features of the Internet are at stake, since any of these tools can be used to distribute copyrighted works.

If a Usenet reader that decodes binaries is a violation of copyright, how much longer before other apps fall prey? FTP? HTTP? If it's found that the means by which binaries are distributed on the Internet is itself a copyright violation, how long before the Internet itself is the target of this kind of lawsuit.

This is a war folks. This war is about who controls the keys to the gates of information. MP3's are nothing more than the initial battleground. The music industry is scared as hell right now over possibly losing the 50 year absolute control they've enjoyed over this art form, with the movie industry also bringing up the rear guard. They have the legal, monetary, and political backing to turn that fear into something destructive against anything that threatens them.

If Napster falls to these gate keepers, you can damn well be assured that they are only to be the first. For those of you in the "I don't collect MP3's, so I don't give a crap" I guess we'll just wait for you to jump on board when something that does concern you eventually does fall under attack. Of course, by then it'll most likely be too damn late.

SuperPimps, the makers of PAN are still under a lawsuit with RIAA because RIAA claims PAN is specifically for stealing music. They want the pimps to take out the uudecode/b64 code, thus turning the newsreader into a eunuch. The problem with this is Microsoft IE, Netscape Communicator and News Rover all support automated download of newsgroups. I don't see anything on their sites about a RIAA lawsuit. I suppose you have to go after the people with little money to defend themselves first. At least the Superpimps have some legal support from Andover. Thanks guys!

While not affiliated with Superpimps, Angelo still thinks it is a kickass reader that should not be maimed by stupid baseless lawsuits.

While looking over the site for my favorite
newsreader,PAN,at www.superpimp.org,I saw they were being sued by the RIAA.the text as follows:

June 26, 2000 - RIAA Lawsuit Update

The RIAA has returned to its original demand that we remove the binary decoder from Pan. They believe that since the decoder is a third-party library, our claim that it's unremovable is false. So with our July 24 court date a little less than a month away, we're back to square one.
The strangest moment of the week came when one RIAA lawyer, in a moment of frustration, asked us how we'd feel if someone took Pan and gave it away to millions of users for free. After the Pan team stopped laughing, the Andover lawyers had to explain why we liked the idea so much. There's a Salon article here somewhere. :) end article.

Well,goes to show you can give PAN away to millions,but I bet you couldnt PAY to have
someone TAKE an RIAA shyster away.
..................................

It's OK to send Lars' music around the net, but even hint that Microsoft might be able to repackage the vast amount of GPLed code out there and profit from it without releasing changes to the community and everyone flips out. Not so funny when it's happening to you, is it?

Lars can go fuck himself. Sorry, it had to be said. Why did I say that? Simple, he wants to put the writers of the Pan newsreader put in jail. Check out SuperPimpSoft's homepage for more information.

OK, copying music is wrong (At least without permission), but Lars has lost the plot. He now wants the writers of a bloody newsreader put in jail for God's sake. And why? Because the newsreader can automatically put together multi-part mime attachments.

Well RIAA has decided to go after newsreader decoders I think that the penthouse action is a lot more reasonable that this kind of idiocy. Thankfully Andover is supporting them legally.

Yeah, and on top of that superpimp.org got $8.37 in 29th round of funding. With all that money, and with the help of Andover.net's lawyers, they'll be able to crush the RIAA, MPAA and Microsoft altogether!

The RIAA is going after Superpimp, authors of pan.

Andover is actually supporting the PAN newsreader, because the RIAA don't like the ability to decode files from newsgroups ;-)

http://www.superpimp.org

--
"Trying is the first step towards failure."

Check out Super Pimp Soft's fight with the RIAA over their right to include a binary attachment decoder in their news software.

The EFF turned down SuperPimpSoft, but Andover's attorneys came and saved the day.

========================
63,000 bugs in the code, 63,000 bugs,
ya get 1 whacked with a service pack,

Legal stuff gets kinda fuzzy. Most likely they are preparing a more longwinded story (more than the usual quote with a link), and it's taking time to sort out all of the facts. I'm sure they will post it in due time.

When I first saw your post I thought it was a joke. I remembered the advanced features from the bottom of this page, and I thought yours was something simular. This is very sad-there going after these guys because they didnt think they could afford lawyers.

I wonder if they can get support from microsoft. Doesn't IE have a news reader that decodes binaries.

john

Though Slashdot seem a bit coy about it (maybe for good reason): the RIAA are suing Superpimp Software, the guy(s) who make the Pan newsreader for Gnome, because, ummm, it decodes attachments. They want them to remove the program's MIME decoding capabilities because you can trade MP3s that way. The RIAA's final out-of-court offer was for Superpimp comply, they refused, and Andover are putting up money for the defence.

C'mon, guys, surely this is a story! :-)

• Please explain to me how your assertion differs signifigantly from the following statement: "I agree that rich people have the rights to things they own, but they have a responsibility to let other people take it."

• Clearly, we do not live in the same world. I refer you to The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, the largest charitable foundation in the world, which gave $57 million dollars this year to prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa. Or to the official "Microsoft Giving" page.

As a point of the matter - I did copy a friend's CDs when I went to middle- and high school. Because I liked the music so much, I bought the CDs years later, when I could afford it. So did I illegaly "preview" the music? I guess so. But had I not been able to copy the music then, I would not have gotten as attached to it, and probably never goten the CDs myself in the end. Which means that in the long run, this "illegal copy" turned into a delayed profit for them, rather than no profit at all.

On the flip side, because of the incredibly rediculous lawsuits going on these days, it is also in my might to not support RIAA. As such, I do my best to avoid buying any products that support any member of RIAA. And no, I don't even download songs from any band associated with RIAA. Downloading would get me attached to the song. Getting attached to the song means that I would eventually cave in and buy the CD and support the artist. Instead, I'm looking at all the other music there is in the world, that RIAA doesn't own.

With RIAA sueing newsreaders, it is only a matter of time before they sue Netspace, Microsoft and Opera for making web browsers that could potentially be used to download MP3s, they'll sue Microsoft for makig an operating system with a file system that could potentially be used to store illegal MP3s, but what will be most fun is to see them sue Al Gore for inventing the Internet... I mean, he was just asking for it, now, wasn't he?

• Please explain to me how your assertion differs signifigantly from the following statement: "I agree that rich people have the rights to things they own, but they have a responsibility to let other people take it."

• Clearly, we do not live in the same world. I refer you to The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, the largest charitable foundation in the world, which gave $57 million dollars this year to prevent the spread of AIDS in Africa. Or to the official "Microsoft Giving" page.

As a point of the matter - I did copy a friend's CDs when I went to middle- and high school. Because I liked the music so much, I bought the CDs years later, when I could afford it. So did I illegaly "preview" the music? I guess so. But had I not been able to copy the music then, I would not have gotten as attached to it, and probably never goten the CDs myself in the end. Which means that in the long run, this "illegal copy" turned into a delayed profit for them, rather than no profit at all.

On the flip side, because of the incredibly rediculous lawsuits going on these days, it is also in my might to not support RIAA. As such, I do my best to avoid buying any products that support any member of RIAA. And no, I don't even download songs from any band associated with RIAA. Downloading would get me attached to the song. Getting attached to the song means that I would eventually cave in and buy the CD and support the artist. Instead, I'm looking at all the other music there is in the world, that RIAA doesn't own.

With RIAA sueing newsreaders, it is only a matter of time before they sue Netspace, Microsoft and Opera for making web browsers that could potentially be used to download MP3s, they'll sue Microsoft for makig an operating system with a file system that could potentially be used to store illegal MP3s, but what will be most fun is to see them sue Al Gore for inventing the Internet... I mean, he was just asking for it, now, wasn't he?

I realize that this message is probably futile and it is totally off-topic but I'm going to post it anyway. I've sent this story to /. twice but it was rejected both times. I've read a lot lately about the RIAA taking legal action to prevent the illegal trading of Mp3's. I don't really agree with this legal action, however I can understand why they are suing most of the companies that they are suing. That is until today. I am a Linux user and Unix Systems Administrator for a large Networking Corporation. I have been using Linux on my Home PC for a number of years now. There was always a couple of things that I have found Linux lacked as compared to Windows. Linux lacks the multimedia features of Windows and the only other thing that I couldn't find for Linux was a really good News reader, something comparable to Forte Agent for windows. The other night I did a search for "linux news readers" and found one called "pan" I downloaded it, compiled it and found that it worked Great! It had almost all the features that Forte Agent had, I was able to download and decode binary attachments in newsgroups, it had great posting capabilities etc. So I decided to check out the developers web site. SuperpimpSoft I couldn't believe what I saw when I got there.

This company is being sued by the RIAA. The RIAA is suing them because their news reader is capable of decoding binary attachments. I'd like to know when the hell the RIAA is going to realize that the entire internet doesn't revolve around Mp3's. I mean come on, because it is capable of decoding binary attachments, that could possibly be Mp3's!! Hell why not sue AOL, MSN and every other ISP that enables people to connect to the internet, because if it weren't for them there is no way people would be trading Mp3's online.

Words cannot express how angry I am right now. Because of the RIAA, a great, open source news reader will have to stop development because it could potently be used to download Mp3's .. well news flash so can Netscape, Internet Explorer, WS_FTP, DOS FTP, Cute FTP, Lynx and the list goes on!!

So I did a Thought for a while .. why would the RIAA want to bully around such a small company that has only one software product, and that product is open source anyway? Then it hit me.. The RIAA knows that these guys can't fight back and they know that they'll probably win in court. This will set a precedent, opening the doors for the RIAA to sue other companies that make news readers, Most popular Windows newsreader .. Forte Free Agent. So I went to Forte's site to do a little digging. When I got there I read that Forte had recently been acquired by a company by the name of Genesys. Genesys is owned by Alcatel! I think that Alcatel should help out the guys at SuperPimpSoft I mean, it would be great PR for Alcatel, not to mention that they would be helping to avert a future lawsuit against one of the companies that they've acquired.

I think the most important thing is letting as many people as possible know about this. And that's my 2 cents..

---

--

Pan

As an ex-Windows user I have been running Forte Agent with wine for some time. But Pan has just about reached the point now where it replicates almost every feature of Agent that I liked, and introduces some new ones I like even more (such as very easy filtered display of news items). Bye bye Agent... just as I was getting out of Usenet.

Just bear in mind that you need to have GNOME installed to build and run it. However, you don't need to be running GNOME as your 'desktop' in order to run Pan.

Pan is a swanky newsreader that feels a lot like Forte Agent for Windows. I'm using 0.7.2 (0.7.3 just came out yesterday), and it's pretty darn solid.